Walkthrough 5.12: Three takeaways from the draft

Jeremy Hill could be the most impactful player selected for the 2014 edition of the Bengals.(Photo: USA Today)

Still trying to process the whirlwind of events and coverage over the last weekend. If you are looking for an hour of information intake, you can start combing through the Bengals page on the site and fill your senses.

Looking back on it, however, this would be classified as another quality draft for the Bengals. No, not because we know how good these players will be. And certainly not because a bunch of national folks bumped them up to an A- from a B+ on their subjective and completely meaningless draft grades.

This was a quality draft because they were able to fill their positions of most need with some of the most ideal fits to their prototype. Each of the top four picks -- Darqueze Dennard, Jeremy Hill, Will Clarke, Russell Bodine -- fit the mold. They could all be dogs. Maybe sixth-round pick James Wright -- who didn't start nor score a TD on the loaded LSU receiving corps -- ends up being the story of this draft in four years. We just don't know.

One of the most widely panned drafts in recent history was the 2012 Seattle Seahawks draft. Everyone hated it. Everyone. That draft just won Pete Carroll a Super Bowl. To me, this weekend is about statements and players put on notice. That said, here's my three biggest takeaways from the Bengals draft weekend.

1) Jeremy Hill could be the best or worst pick of this draft.

Hill and Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde will long be compared against each other in the eyes of Bengals fans. If anything I know this because my post on Hill vs. Hyde from Friday night was one of the most read stories from the entire weekend.

The success of either on the field won't be the difference, though. Hill can play, folks. Just watch his tape against Auburn. His power and speed running up the middle will become a PBS staple. The guy knows how to get downhill in a hurry. Almost certainly, he'll be a success for the Bengals and the most impactful player taken this weekend for the 2014 version of the Bengals.

This run against South Carolina may be my favorite illustration of his vision, power and speed.

That said, Hill comes with baggage. His two arrests before the age of 21 and subsequent suspension early last season raise eyebrows. He seems to have left all that behind and even sent a letter to all 32 teams assuring them he had in order to "get ahead of it." For the conversations and press conference I witnessed this weekend he seems an engaging, outgoing young man. This isn't about that.

It's only that if another incident were to occur and you pair it with the Orson Charles arrest in Kentucky (remember, Charles slipped in the '12 draft due to a DUI leading up to it) and the Bengals become harder to defend in their move away from the "same old Bengals." They've taken significant strides over the last five years to leave the stereotype behind. The locker room is filled with mostly high-character pros now. Hill could definitely be that. But if an incident occurs nobody could claim the team didn't see red flags or have other options.

The Bengals said they trust their connections at LSU who stood behind Hill and the type of guy he will be. As long as they are right, this pick should be yet another home run running back selection for the Bengals.

2) Yet another vote of confidence for Andy Dalton

The turning point in the Andy Dalton saga came Friday night at pick 55. Jimmy Garappolo still remained on the board. The Bengals were on the clock. The depth of this draft showed itself at this moment. A plethora of quality options existed at different positions of need. If the Bengals wanted to put Dalton on notice and make a statement they were not going to give in to the massive quarterback money out there for somebody yet to play well in three postseason losses, this would be the time. They could take on the small-school wonder with the Dan Marino release. They could groom him for a year and have him ready for 2015.

They passed. Then they passed on a QB again in the third round. And the fourth. With each pass, another pat on Dalton's back from management.

A.J. McCarron is a nice quarterback with some serious credentials. He's won big games and owns a remarkable touchdown-interception ratio. In that way, he's the anti-Dalton.

By the Pro Football Reference career approximate value number, only six even crack double digits in contribution. So, these are the BEST OF THE BEST.

Matt Cassell (44)

Ryan Fitzpatrick (44)

Kyle Orton (34)

Derek Anderson (20)

Brad Smith (17)

Tyler Thigpen (10)

Soak in that list of champions.

This is your best case scenario when judging ceiling for a QB picked in the fourth round or later the last decade. If you knew you would get any of these six producing their best year as a pro, would you trade Andy Dalton for any of them? Heck, I might not trade Jason Campbell for that.

As for QBs taken in the second or third round over the last five years:

Russell Wilson

Nick Foles

Andy Dalton

Colin Kaepernick

Geno Smith

You be the judge on the realistic building blocks. A.J. McCarron is a nice story and everyone loves to talk about Katherine Webb. He's not a legitimate threat to Dalton's future or contract talks. Those turned into a pumpkin at midnight Friday.

3. The secondary remains in good hands

Watching tape makes you appreciate Darqueze Dennard. Listening to his coaches talk about him make you intrigued. Meeting him makes you know this was a huge score in the first round at 24 for Cincinnati.

Dennard carries himself with confidence, intelligence and says and does all the right things. He became a leader and the cornerstone of one of the best defenses in the country last year. For him to still be around that late in the first round was highway robbery.

To be compared to Leon Hall in any way, shape or form by a staff that appreciates what Hall brings as much as anybody in football is the highest complement. That's what this staff did with Dennard. Assuming Hall recovers as well from this Achilles as the previous, the idea of pairing Hall and his younger clone at corner for the next 3-4 years should be an appetizing thought for Bengals fans.

Marvin Lewis values one statistic above all else. Turnover ratio. He lives by it. He preaches it relentlessly. That's the difference between Mettenberger and McCarron.

His last two seasons McCarron threw 58 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Mettenberger threw 34 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. He has two national championships in his back pocket and showed the ability to lead a team. What did Mettenberger win?

Throw in the fact he was booted by Georgia and had the diluted drug test issue at the combine and you have far too many red flags and interceptions to matter no matter how big his arm.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Watched Dennard run through a 20-minute press conference then do interviews with Fox19, Channel 5 and Bengals.com. By the time he reached me he was still willing to humor me and my off-the-wall line of questions. Definite +1.